Punta Cana

Next up on operation blog catch up is our Honeymoon. Ryan and I actually went through costco travel to book our trip to Punta Cana. We stayed at Paradisus resort and were very impressed! My parents are cruise people growing up I probably have been on 5-6 cruises but have never done an all inclusive. Everyone at Paradisus were friendly and accessible. The food was amazing! I was worried that there would be minimal vegetarian options but there were very diverse options. We had our choice of 6 different restaurants each night. For breakfast and lunch we could choose from two different buffets. There was even a late night snack bar (we never stayed out late enough to enjoy this.)

 By the end of our trip we were going a little overboard at the buffets for lunch and breakfast. I have zero self control so it was a recipe for disaster. Ryan and I started ordering room service when we needed a break from the sun. This helped a little with the portion control and the food was still delicious. I especially loved the fresh pineapple.

Our favorite excursion was zip-lining. It was a great way to see the fantastic views and observe some wild life. It was a little scary at first but by the end we were pros :)

Wedding Day

Never mind the fact that this is just a touch over due, I wanted to share our special day! Our day started fairly early with hair appointments but I knew I wanted to get a quick run in before heading out. I ran a quick three miles into the fog on the back roads of my parents house. Thinking back it was definitely not safe to be running even with my florescent reflector vest.  The fog was just some foreshadowing for the severe thunderstorms that were to come. I knew having poor weather was the risk of having an outdoor wedding but even today I'm glad we had it outside. As the wedding party waited in the hotel with the forecast on our phones, my wedding coordinator told me to get ready as they saw a rain- free window of opportunity to walk down the aisle.

As I made my way down the aisle I was so thankful that we were able to have our outdoor wedding after all. It was perfect temperatures and the sun even made an appearance during the ceremony. I am so thankful for my bridal party and family for all of their hard work and making our day so special.

no rain drops!

Rehearsal Dinner

I am officially Mrs. Servais! All of the planning and crazy checklists are OVER!

I wanted to write a little something about the rehearsal night because it was such a blast to have everyone together. I suggested (ok forced) my bridesmaids to meet about 45 prior to the rehearsal to get some cute pictures just with my camera.

adorbs

chaty kathies

Ryan and I had six bridesmaids and six groomsmen in our wedding party and felt like it was a great number. We both feel so close to the members of our bridal party and had a blast spending the weekend with our closest friends. Our rehearsal was at Geneva Ridge resort and we were all excited to hit up the outside tiki bar.

Our rehearsal dinner took place about a mile away from our wedding rehearsal at the Hunt Club restaurant part of Geneva National Golf club where I used to work.. I had been there once before only because I received a discount! The food was amazing! Ryan and I already vowed that we are going here on our 1 year anniversary.

There is halibut under the asparagus. I promise.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

After full bellies we had another drink and the girls decided to head home. We all knew we had to get up early for our hair appointments so it was a unanimous decision. My maid of honor suggested I get a "last single girl kiss" prior to departure.

That night I COULD NOT SLEEP! I wanted my sisters and I to all have a sleepover in my younger sister Sarah's bed. We went to bed around 10:00pm and I fell asleep right away. Around 12:30 I woke up as if my alarm had just gone off. I laid there a while and I finally decided to go into the living room to find my dad in there watching TV.  We watched House Hunters together and since it was dark my dad couldn't see me tearing up. It was so special to me to have those few minutes with him because I knew the next time I would see him we would be walking down the aisle to meet my groom! About an hour into House Hunters and countless sentences of conversation my dad turns to me and says "OH! Kristen its you!? I thought you were Tricia the whole time." Of course while I am having a sentimental moment my dad I just shooting the shit with whichever daughter pulls up a chair! I will not be letting him live this down.

2014 Weddings

This weekend consisted of everything weddings.  Ryan and I were going to obtain our Dane County marriage license but it turned out he doesn't have his birth certificate so he has to wait to get that from his parents. We did meet with our Pastor though. She is so great and I feel much more relaxed after meeting with her. We decided instead of doing the unity candle which some ceremonies have to do a unity tree.  We will have a small tree in a pot up front at our ceremony. Ryan’s mom and my mom will bring up a jar of dirt from each of their houses.  We are then supposed to plant the tree at our home. I really like the idea so I hope it goes smoothly.

on Woellert Farm

On Saturday my friend Lindsay’s bridesmaids were invited to a brunch at her future in laws house.  We were served the most delicious asparagus quiche, muffins, and fruit parfaits.  We even had one of Lindsay’s flower girls there to take our order! Next, we headed to Whitewater to Sisters Boutique to look at bridesmaid dresses! We were in and out within an hour and a half! I couldn't believe that it went so smoothly. Lindsay let us each pick our own style but we will all have the same color dress. 

Had to get a group shot before dress shopping

 In the evening we were all invited back to her in laws house for a bon fire. We grilled out and enjoyed a few drinks.  Her wedding party gets along great so we all shared plenty of laughs! I am so excited for her wedding next year! It is crazy to think that Ryan and I already have 5 weddings in the books for 2014.

Pintrest gone wrong

Thomas Rhett Concert

Making our way to the concert 

I have lived in the Madison area for almost two years now and have never been to Taste of Madison! When I found out that the country artist Thomas Rhett was performing I knew I had to be there. There was also multiple vendors with different kinds of food with prices ranging from $4-$6. Sign me up! My friends Taylor and Morgan joined Ryan and I for the concert and it was a blast! We first were standing by a stage that had almost no one in the crowd but we were still convinced that this was where he was going to play.  We looked around and finally realized this was where there would be a kids puppet show and we walked to the next block to find a much larger stage with a huge crowd. We felt really smart... I didn't know that Thomas Rhett wrote a few of Jason Aldean's songs like "1994" and Florida Georgia Line's song "Cruise." We knew almost every song that he played which it so much more fun. Thomas Rhett's dad Rhett Atkins came out and played a few songs as well! Did I mention the fact that it was free!? 

after finally finding the right stage

On Labor day we had our friends Nicole and Kyle over for some snacks on the deck. It was such a beautiful day. While Ryan and Kyle went golfing Nicole and I hit up the mall and did some shopping. I am happy to report I got a dress from Kohls for $4!  I also was gifted the shirt below from my good friend Katelynn. She is always giving away bags of clothes and I am usually first in line.

Madison Mini Marathon

Ryan and I signed up for the Madison mini last year. It was my 4th half marathon and would have been Ryan's first half. After a summer of wedding planning Ryan didn't get enough training in and decided to run the 5k instead. I probably wasn't fully trained for a half but moved forward with it anyway!

Madison Mini

It was great weather for a race! Ryan and I drove downtown and parked in a parking ramp. We thought we had plenty of time but as we got closer to the race start we were faced with a bit of an issue. The porta potty lines were outrageous. They were what seemed like a mile long and swerved all over the place. I had no idea where to stand in line. I had about 15 minutes to pee and line up at the start.  I found an end to one of the lines and just started the waiting game. I finally got my turn to pee and sprint to the start . I hadn't started my garmin to find satellites yet because I wanted to be able to see what time it was.  I was supposed to be lined up in coral G but ended up in coral J because I was so late.

From not starting my garmin early enough it never worked for the whole race. I have run races without a garmin before but I was really bummed it wasn't working.  It never located the satellites! Needless to say this race was not off to the best start.  I thought most of the race was pretty congested. There were times when I slowed to a walk.  Things looked up around mile 3 when I ran into (literally) two guys from my lunch break work running group! Ray and Ken had a great pace going and it was nice to have a little motivation from them. I will definitely miss these two when I start my new job.

My last half marathon I finished in 1:48:47. What was ironic is this race I finished in almost the exact same time. It was 1:48:49. I couldn't believe I pulled it off after all of the mishaps in the beginning. Ryan did great in his 5k too and never stopped for any walk breaks! We celebrated afterwards by playing some cards with friends and watching a pre season Packer game!

Me and fellow blogger dailycupofkate!

Howl at the Moon

So here is the bachelorette post.  It was thrown by my Maid of Honor Taylor and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I basically just showed up and was surrounded by my best friends. We started by catching the train to Chicago in Harvard, IL.  I had a pan of brownies in one hand and my bag in the other. When switching train cars a boy tried to hold the door open for me but he had no idea it would close automatically. This led to me falling backwards in order to save the brownies. Luckily I fell onto my friends suitcase so it was cause of a good laugh.  We enjoyed mimosas on the way down. Love this way to travel.

The group

Once we got settled in the hotel rooms we played games and enjoyed some appetizers including the brownies that made it through me falling, a train and cab ride.  I hadn't seen my friends Alisha and Kelsey in so long so we all had plenty to catch up on! We then ordered pizza and proceeded with some games. Overall it was a tasteful bachelorette party. I feel like some of these parties are a little too extreme with the penis shaped objects. Don't get me wrong there was the typical shot glass and straw (which was extremely hard to drink out of ... TWSS) but I thought it was a good balance. We then opened presents and I got many cute Victorias Secret inspired outfits and other amazing gifts.

This may have turned into a to-do list in our kitchen

 My party was a great way to kick off my upcoming wedding and I had the time of my life. We went to Howlin at the Moon piano bar downtown and it was perfect for our group. I don't think we ever stopped dancing on the stage. We visited a few other bars downtown and made it back to our hotel after searching for Qdoba for what seemed like 3 hours. We ended up settling for Subway where my friend Kate requested queso for her meatball sub. I love my friends.

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